Richard Dawson on Family Feud, 1978 - wondering who he'll kiss next...
As you may have heard by now, TV sitcom star and Emmy-award-winning game show host, Richard Dawson, has died, aged 79. Dawson was best known for hosting TV’s Family Feud (1976-1985) and for portraying Cpl. Newkirk on Hogan’s Heroes (1965-1971).
In the 1970s Dawson also appeared on a wide variety of TV shows such as Match Game, McCloud, Love, American Style, Laugh-In, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. I watched my fair share of Family Feud as a kid and was a big fan of Hogan’s Heroes – which ran in reruns throughout the 70s. Thanks for the entertainment, Mr. Dawson!
“After starting his career as a stand-up comedian, Dawson married the English pin-up Dors in 1959. The couple settled in California but he was devastated when she walked out on him and they divorced in 1967.
By then, he was known as the Cockney prisoner of war in Hogan’s Heroes, which ran on CBS from 1965 to ’71. He became Family Feud’s host when it launched on the ABC network in 1976 and won a daytime Emmy Award in 1978 for best game show host. At its height, Family Feud was one of the most popular programmes on US TV, airing 11 times a week – five in daytime and six in the evening.”
Richard Dawson on Family Feud, 1978
Richard Dawson on Hogan’s Heroes, 1967